About Us

Oaksterdam University Office of Government and Public Affairs (OGPA) is dedicated to the advancement, education, and implementation of reasonable, evidence-based cannabis policy.

Office of Government & Public Affairs

Over the past two decades, Oaksterdam University has been called upon to provide cannabis education services to many state and municipal government agencies, as well as health care providers, labor unions, law enforcement agencies, and universities.

Our team of experts are engaged in current projects including training for California state and municipal agencies, Florida League of Cities, a new satellite Public Policy Ambassador in Washington D.C., and developing partnerships in Jamaica and South Korea.

America’s First Cannabis College

As the first and only institution dedicated to providing individuals and organizations with cannabis education, Oaksterdam University officials have worked with elected officials and government agencies as far back as 1995, long before our official school founding in 2007.  

History was made when Oaksterdam University was selected as the first educational institution in the United States to train the senior staff of the California State Board of Equalization — the most significant state taxation agency in the world, as well as the Florida Dept of Health, Office of Medical Marijuana Use.  

Oaksterdam has worked with regulators and officials from many jurisdictions and legislators including those from California, Florida, Maryland, Colorado, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Washington, Washington D.C., Jamaica, Mexico and Uruguay.

Who We’ve Educated

Government Agencies
  • Board of Equalization of California
  • California Legislative Analyst Office
  • Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom’s of California’s Blue Ribbon Commission
  • Legislative Staff from both sides of the aisle in California:
  • The California Assembly Appropriations Committee, Budget Committee, Fiscal and Policy Offices, Senate Governance, Budget and Finance Committees, Senate Republican Policy and Fiscal Offices, Offices of Senate President Pro Tem, Assembly Speaker and Assembly Public Safety Committee Chair
  • Congressional Staff from the US Senate and House, Republican
  • The City of Oakland, and the Association of the Cities and County of Orange County
Education
  • The University of California System, including Berkeley, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco
  • The University of West Indies
  • Sacramento State University
  • San Francisco State University
  • Laney and Mills Colleges
Healthcare
  • Kaiser Hospital Healthcare
  • Oncology Department, AIDS Case Management Team, and Maternity Ward
  • Florida Department of Health
  • Continuing Medical Education (CME) for physicians, doctors, nurses.
  • Contra Costa County Alcohol and Other Drugs Services

 

Other
  • The American Bar Association and the ABA Section of Taxation
  • Labor Unions including UFCW, AFL-CIO, SEIU, Teachers and Nurses Associations
  • The RAND Corporation
  • Legal Education (CLE) to professionals including attorneys and Certified Public Accountants

Certification For Professionals

Certification offers an advantage to graduates whose jobs intersect with new cannabis laws. Our programs will bridge gaps in knowledge, ease transitions and create enhanced understanding and collaboration with legislators, state regulators, and business operators.

Certification is awarded to attendees who complete and pass a comprehensive exam. We craft learning outcomes based on a program that is customized to the unique needs of your agency and staff.

Building upon the history of trust, we have established the Office of Government and Public Affairs to assist governments and NGOs in the following areas:

  • Promoting strategies that help all levels of government regulate cannabis efficiently.  
  • Shaping sound public policy through the work of our subject matter experts and faculty who represent the diverse societal and technical characteristics of the cannabis field.
  • Tracking societal trends, including political, economic, environmental, and demographic data that informs the successes and challenges facing governments and cannabis providers.  

Certification For Professionals

Certification offers an advantage to graduates whose jobs intersect with new cannabis laws. Our programs will bridge gaps in knowledge, ease transitions and create enhanced understanding and collaboration with legislators, state regulators, and business operators.

Certification is awarded to attendees who complete and pass a comprehensive exam. We craft learning outcomes based on a program that is customized to the unique needs of your agency and staff.

Building upon the history of trust, we have established the Office of Government and Public Affairs to assist governments and NGOs in the following areas:

  • Promoting strategies that help all levels of government regulate cannabis efficiently.  
  • Shaping sound public policy through the work of our subject matter experts and faculty who represent the diverse societal and technical characteristics of the cannabis field.
  • Tracking societal trends, including political, economic, environmental, and demographic data that informs the successes and challenges facing governments and cannabis providers.  

Customized Training

To keep up with the evolving cannabis industry and help regulators understand the new commercial market, Oaksterdam University (OU) has a specialized curriculum focused on public health safety as well as a heightened sensitivity to regional restrictions, following labor standards and navigating around political issues tactfully.

Oaksterdam faculty can provide training at your location, online, or on-site at our campus in Oakland, California. Students who attend on-campus lectures can partake in field trips to local cannabis cultivation sites and extraction labs, as well as product testing laboratories.

Agency Seminars, Public Education (Contact us for more information)
OU Campus & Online Classes

  • Introduction to Cannabis Policy: Federal Law Vs State Law
  • CA State Law & Local Control: Legal Business Structures
  • CA State Legislation & Regulations
  • Track and Trace Programs
  • Plant Cycle, Indoor Cultivation Practices, Air Safety & Odor Abatement
  • Methods of Ingestion & Related Activities of the Cannabis Industry
  • Common practices of a Micro Business: Retailers & Delivery
  • Inventory & Quality Controls, Labeling, and Security Management
  • Cannabis Business Obstacles: IRS 280E Rule, Banking, FinCEN,
  • HR/Management, Cash Handling, Taxes and Payments
  • Distributor & Transport Requirements: Best Practices and Risks
  • Operating Procedures & Security Plans
  • Extractions and Manufacturing Techniques
  • Laboratory Testing Requirements and Results
  • Employee Safety (OSHA) Onsite Safety Hazards
  • Consumer Safety that needs to be promoted by local jurisdictions
  • Home Grow Rights (how to identify a legal personal or medical grow)
  • Waste Management
  • Procurement of Seeds and Clones – Nursery Model
  • Delivery Models
  • Onsite Consumption models
  • Event Organizer models and examples
  • Insurance for business and liability concerns
  • Legal Business Structures: Management Companies and Investors
  • Law Enforcement Sensitivity Training (written and administered by retired LEO’s)

Educational Services for
Government Agencies, Elected Officials, and Non-Governmental Organizations

Oaksterdam University Office of Government and Public Affairs works with municipal, county, state, federal, and international government agencies and elected officials to provide:  

  • Custom designed education programs on canna-business that provide historical perspective, current and past regulatory knowledge.
  • An understanding of the challenges faced by cannabis businesses, and employees, operating in cultivation, manufacturing, retail, and other related business services.
  • Educational programs specifically focused on the need for Public Health officials to address their concerns and to create a productive dialogue between those officials, public health NGOs, and cannabis providers.
  • Educational programs related to Taxation and the creation of reasonable taxation systems that ensure the compliance from cannabis providers.
  • Educational programs for Law Enforcement managed in partnership with current and former law enforcement officials.

Educational Services for
Government Agencies, Elected Officials, and Non-Governmental Organizations

Oaksterdam University Office of Government and Public Affairs works with municipal, county, state, federal, and international government agencies and elected officials to provide:  

  • Custom designed education programs on canna-business that provide historical perspective, current and past regulatory knowledge.
  • An understanding of the challenges faced by cannabis businesses, and employees, operating in cultivation, manufacturing, retail, and other related business services.
  • Educational programs specifically focused on the need for Public Health officials to address their concerns and to create a productive dialogue between those officials, public health NGOs, and cannabis providers.
  • Educational programs related to Taxation and the creation of reasonable taxation systems that ensure the compliance from cannabis providers.
  • Educational programs for Law Enforcement managed in partnership with current and former law enforcement officials.

Policy Review

OGPA has trained and supported cannabis policy makers from both parties. OU Faculty have been involved in crafting the first compassion laws up to the most recent MAUACRSA policy in the state of California.

We support Bipartisan Legislation such as:

  • The Marijuana Revenue & Regulation Act
  • The Marijuana Freedom & Opportunity Act
  • The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act
  • The Marijuana Justice Act
  • The Marijuana Policy Gap Act
  • The Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in Emerging Cannabis Trades (RESPECT) Resolution
  • The Veterans Equal Access Act
  • The Restraining Excessive Federal Enforcement & Regulations of Cannabis (REFER) Act
  • The Medical Marijuana Research Act
  • The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act
  • The Marijuana Data Collection Act
  • The States Medical Marijuana Property Rights Protection Act
  • The Stop Civil Asset Forfeiture Funding Marijuana Suppression Act
  • The Fairness in Federal Drug Testing Under State Laws Act
  • The Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act
  • The Small Business Tax Equity Act

Oaksterdam Endorsements

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta congratulate Oaksterdam University in honor of our 15th Anniversary in 2022.

Cal Gov Gavin Newsom Recognizes OU

Cal AG Lauds Oaksterdam University

Cannabis & hemp are complicated,
we make it easier

View our course catalog or get in touch to learn more